PaperThin
by roxas-for-president
Summary: There are so many different ways to love Sasunaru


**Disclaimer:**** I own nothing, which is probably a really good thing.  
****Notes:**** SasuNaru. Interesting.  
****Warning:**** its just a random rant I was having, and feeling sentimental and angsty at the same time.  
**

**-x-x-x-**  
_I just want one more chance  
To put my arms in fragile hands_

Just by looking at them, it was hard to tell whether or not there was actually something or anything at all existing between them, well, other than their competitive and dreadfully strong facades. The two of them don't smile at each other, or acknowledge each others presence, embrace, hold hands or send little heart-shaped love notes around. No, they don't believe in silly little gestures like that, they don't need reassurances because they, and they alone, already know what's there - it could be love, or lust, or maybe it the sincere desperation to rid the feeling of loneliness from their lives. However, no matter what the truth or realization was they wouldn't care, they would never care. Why cease a connection that purges the soul of a tainted blood drenched past, both of them were grown men, men that have spent their lives contaminated with anger, indifference, hate, and heart consuming revenge.

Through that, they had lost the ability to trust, and all other emotions besides the ones that plagued their minds would fade away, and most likely never to return to take place in absent thoughts. One would laugh and smile, but instead that was his retreat, he would hide behind his fake wall of naivety, and pretend that things didn't matter him anymore. He was the one hyper-active knuckle headed ninja who dreamt to become Hokage.

The other was held high on a pedestal, loved and cherished, exposed for all to tear down with status filled fingers, invisible to the rest of the world. He suffered silently; lost everything he ever held cherished to him - His family, the love of his mother, the achieved acceptance from his father and lastly the admiration for his brother… everything.

To lose the ability to trust and to lose the simple ability to live normally in a world where people would accept them was a far off dream. They'll never be accepted for who they are, no matter how many times they fought for the people, or against the people. In order for one to succeed the other must fall and for that - they'll never be accepted for who they are. Both of them, are just pawns in a chess game, they are something to admire, something to hate, something to blame, something to love, and something, most importantly, something to fear. Darkness, when everything you know and love is taken from you so harshly, all you can think about is anger, hatred, and even revenge and no-one can save you.

Somehow, they knew the same pain, they knew what the other must have gone through, and even if they have never experienced the same things… it was just that level of understanding and undying loyalty and the refusal of breaking whatever connection they had. It wasn't long before trying to break their bonds meant, "I'll rip myself apart to save you, and I'll die for you, just so you can live." I guess, that's how they found each other.

They were different from every other 'couple' they knew. Generally, whenever someone else would run into their love, partner or precious person (they never, ever used connotations), sparks would fly and the air came thicker with emotions and whatnot and a kiss would be shared before they would go on their own paths. Not with them. If by chance they happened to grace each other with their presence, there would be no hug nor kiss, or any form of affection, just a curt nod of the head and then they would continue on their own ways. Although it was hard to ignore the lingering, almost discreet glances they would cast at the others retreating form. Their meetings were a business ritual, as always, but both men never forgot this ritual. Never. It was two important to their continuing semi-sanity.

It would seem that over time they would have formed an unbreakable resistance to people walking in and out of their lives, but it turns out that fact wasn't true. A mission granted; they would spend hours standing at the city gates with fake smiles, (well one of them would) plastered on their faces. It was supposed to be reassuring, but knowing that anything could go wrong on any rank mission, would be bad, and possibly life threatening. It was hard separating with the person you grow strong for, and no one else, except those few who felt the same, can understand that. So no-body blinked an eye when they would roughly pull each other into an embrace and held on. Teammates would smile at this, at the humanity of this one moment, showing that even gods can love, because even after all this time, that's what they became.

Behind closed doors they're more open, but only to a certain extent. They sit closer to each other fingers barley scraping the other hand. Sometimes they would talk about deep philosophical dilemmas, opening up deep scars and letting past memories bleed out, only to be stopped by gentle hands and careful words, a side of themselves they wouldn't dare to show others. And when they were in a happy mood, or feeling particularly frisky there would a chaste kiss (or maybe something more) before ending their day with a lingering goodnight. Even at night they would lay awake, eyes tracing in every feature wondering if it's a shadow or genjutsu deceiving them, even if it was, they wouldn't dispel it.

Shikamaru doesn't believe there's anything between them, and gets extremely annoyed when they just sit around all day doing nothing! Ino would wrap her arms around her troubled boyfriend and say With stars in her eyes 'it's because of love!'. Kakashi lets them do whatever the hell they want, as long as they don't steal his Icha-Icha Paradise novels for any ideas. Sakura would smile, knowing that Sasuke had always made simple and complex things overly complicated. Iruka notes that Naruto is the same, and that's probably why they try to keep their relationship so simple. Sai has no thoughts on the subject.

There are so many different ways to love; they just have their own, complicated, eccentric, dysfunctional and unique way of showing so.

_I thought you said forever  
(Over and over)  
The sleepless night becomes bitter oblivion__  
_


End file.
